Business News: Timothée Chalamet Joins Urban Jürgensen As Minority Partner And Creative Advisor

Timothée Chalamet has gotten really deep into independent watchmaking lately. He’s shown up at press events, basketball games, and on the red carpet, wearing everything from a Simon Brette to a Franck Muller and even an Akrivia AK-06. He’s also been wearing a neo-vintage Urban Jürgensen from time to time. But it seems like he’s always rotated back to his trusty Urban Jürgensen UJ-2, the time-only watch that launched with the brand’s revival last summer. He wore the watch promoting the movie Marty Supreme, and again later, when he won the Golden Globe for Best Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for that same film. And now, in a move that makes his passion for the brand official, he’s gotten on board as a minority partner and creative advisor.

In a press release provided by the brand, Alex Rosenfield, CEO of Urban Jürgensen, says that Chalamet’s passion for independent watchmaking isn’t just him hopping on a trend, but rather a part of his passion for craft and quality of work. “We want to work together to advance our mission of bringing a contemporary perspective to the world of independent watchmaking while remaining grounded in what has always defined it,” says Rosenfield.

The Urban Jürgensen brand has gone through various ownerships over its 253-year history. Most recently, the brand was acquired in 2021 by a group of investors led by Kari Voutilainen and the Rosenfield family, who set the brand up for its relaunch in 2025. The man himself, Urban Jürgensen, was once a watchmaker for the Danish Royal Court and clockmaker to the Danish Navy, but the brand was largely known among modern collectors for its work under the ownership of Peter Baumberger. Baumberger made a variety of wristwatches (and some important pocket watches) with help from famous names like Derek Pratt and Kari Voutilainen, who would return for the relaunch.

“A couple of years ago, a film director I admire deeply piqued my interest in artisanal watchmaking,” said Chalamet in the press release. “Not the flashy kind, but the kind that demands years of discipline, patience, and ultimately, mastery. I started to see it as a sibling to filmmaking — a precise expression, just on a different scale.” As a part of his role as creative advisor (in addition to his minority stake in the company), Chalamet will help with a number of projects and initiatives for a brand that has featured a number of famous actors and artists, as well as avant-garde approaches to press imagry (including Danish furniture and food mixed with watches) and a series called by “Time Well Spent,” shot by famous photographer Ellen von Unwerth.

For more on Urban Jürgensen, visit the brand’s website.